


Photographs

by brookwrites



Category: Phandom/The Fantastic Foursome (YouTube RPF)
Genre: Amazingphil - Freeform, Angst, DAN AND PHIL - Freeform, Dan Howell - Freeform, Daniel Howell - Freeform, Fluff, M/M, Phan - Freeform, Phan Angst, Phan Fluff, Phan Smut, Phandom - Freeform, Phanfiction, Phil Lester - Freeform, Smut, danisnotonfire - Freeform, dap, dnp, phanfic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-22
Updated: 2017-12-22
Packaged: 2019-02-18 16:00:06
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 6,305
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13103643
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/brookwrites/pseuds/brookwrites
Summary: Ever wondered what exactly prompted Dan and Phil to take the countless creepshots that we see them post on Instagram and Twitter? Well, let’s explore a few possible answers.





	1. Thicc

**Author's Note:**

> This will be a bit of a difficult fic to put on ao3, given I can't upload the photos, but I'll describe each one. Part 1 is about the photo of Dan stuck in a kids' rocket ride back in January 2017, when they were heading to Phil's parents' for his birthday.

Baggage claim is stupid. Airports are stupid. Flying in general is stupid. These are just a few of the complaints running through Dan’s mind that afternoon. They just wanted to fly up to see Phil’s parents for his birthday. Dan didn’t want to deal with baggage arriving 30 minutes late. After noticing that the suitcases circling the belt weren’t even from London, Dan was about done. 

All Dan wanted was a place to sit. Sure, he’d been sitting for hours, but that didn’t change the fact that standing had never been his favorite activity and he was already getting quite sick of it. Looking around, he couldn’t find a single open chair or bench. So, he turned and walked towards the only empty place to sit he could find: the kids’ NASA rocket. 

“Dan, wait! Where are you going?” Phil took off after him.

Dan situated himself in the rocket. It was a bit of a tight fit, but a seat was a seat. “I’m going to sit down.” 

Phil rolled his eyes at his boyfriend. “You’re so lazy.”

Dan shrugged his shoulders as the buzzer sounded, alerting travelers that more luggage was coming to the belt. Phil looked over at the people approaching to pick up their bags. “Dan, people from our flight are getting their luggage! Come on, let’s go!” 

Ready to finally leave and head to Phil’s parents’ house, Dan attempted to stand up. However, he couldn’t move. He pushed on the sides of the rocket, but he wasn’t budging. Dan got his fat ass stuck in the kids’ rocket. He looked up to see Phil striding over to the baggage belt. “Phil!”

The older boy turned his head. “What is it, Dan? Come on, we need to get our things!” 

“I’m stuck.” Dan flushed a deep red as heads turned to see the grown man with his ass stuck in a kids’ rocket. 

Phil sighed. “Hold on.” 

An anxious minute later, Phil returned with both their suitcases, which finally arrived on the belt. He set them down and took out his phone. “What are you doing?” Dan was already upset enough and Phil’s dilly-dallying wasn’t helping much. “Aren’t you going to help me out?”

Phil smirked. “After I take a few pictures.” 

Dan rolled his eyes and attempted to free himself again. He laughed as passing people stared at them, looking off into the distance to pretend Phil wasn’t taking a bunch of creepshots. After a minute of struggling, Dan gave up and turned towards Phil, pouting. Following a final picture, Phil put his phone in his pocket and took Dan’s hands. 

“On three, okay?” Dan nodded. “One… Two… Three!” Phil pulled as hard as he could, and Dan pressed his feet on the stool, trying desperately to free himself by whatever means necessary. Eventually, Dan came stumbling into Phil’s arms before leaning back and looking around to see how many people were staring at them. After gathering themselves, both boys picked up their suitcases and walked off. 

“You should really post those pictures.” 

“Yeah right. I’ve already humiliated myself enough on the internet.”

“Exactly. They already think so low of you that this can’t do any more damage.”

Dan rolled his eyes for what seemed like the millionth time that day. “Send me the pictures.” 

After looking through all of Phil’s creepshots and picking out the two he liked the most, Dan edited them together and prepared an Instagram post. “What should I caption it?” 

Phil giggled. “Thicc.” 

“Shut up.”

“What? You are pretty thick. I can vouch for it.” Phil shot Dan a wink, which he responded to with yet another eye roll. One more embarrassing incident on this trip and Dan may just lose it.


	2. The Hill

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Part 2 is about the picture of Dan after falling down a hill in the Isle of Man during Phil's birthday trip (2017).

After the horrible incident with the rocket, Dan was just happy to be able to walk. However, the nature was what made the walk enticing to him. After spending Phil’s birthday with his family, eating some amazing cake, (not red velvet, much to both their discontent) and freaking the entire phandom out with one tweet, Dan was ready for some time in the outdoors. 

It wasn’t like Dan spent that much time outside anyway, and it was such a beautiful place, so it only made him more excited. He would be going with Phil’s entire family, and he really felt blessed to be included as a member of the family. He loved Phil’s family almost as much as he loved Phil. 

The only problem with the walk was the fact that it had just rained, so it was muddy, and it was a bit cold, with it being February in Britain and all. So, Dan bundled up, putting on a black jacket and black, furry hat to keep him warm and keep his aesthetic happy. 

Dan was never one to stay fit, and his endurance wasn’t very high. Of course, neither was Phil’s, so they both ended up falling behind quickly. The two were panting and stopping to take nature pictures as the rest of the family hiked ahead of them. 

Looking down a hill, a beautiful flower caught Dan’s eye. He saw a blooming pastel pink flower, the name of which he didn’t know, and needed an aesthetic picture. Pulling out his phone, Dan took off down the hill. 

Phil’s eyes went wide. “Dan, wait! It’s probably-” 

Before Phil could finish, Dan slipped on a patch of mud and went flying into the air. In the short second while he was airborne, Dan shoved his phone safely in his pocket and began thinking of nothing but the literal pain in the ass that would come with his likely rough landing. Bracing himself, Dan hit the ground and tumbled down the hill, ending in a curled up ball at the bottom. “…slick.” 

“No kidding.” Phil was definitely right about the mud on the hill. Dan admitted it. However, he still didn’t enjoy Phil’s laughter at the image of his boyfriend covered in mud on the ground at the foot of a hill. Looking up, Dan found himself to be right underneath the pink flower he wanted to photograph. The flower had quickly turned into the least of his worries, as he was now stuck in its plant’s thorns. “Help me up, would you?” 

Phil extended a hand to Dan, who yelped as he pulled multiple thorns out of his jacket while standing up. Looking down at himself, Dan sighed. “I really trashed this jacket, didn’t I?” 

“I’ll take a picture and show you.” Phil already had his camera out. 

“Oh no, not another creepshot.” 

Phil, the apparent master photographer, grinned as he pointed his phone at the discontent Dan. The younger boy looked off into the distance, having an embarrassed existential crisis. He just wanted to go back to Phil’s parents’ house and change out of the cold and muddy jacket he was wearing. “Here you go!” 

Phil turned his phone to Dan, showing him the best picture he took. Dan’s existential crisis was evident along with the horrible mess on his jacket. “Wow, it’s worse that I thought.” Dan giggled as he realized how horribly he really did mess up. “Let’s go home. I wanna change out of these things.” 

“My parents’ house is home now?” 

“We’ve been over this. Especially with us moving later this year. Anywhere you are is home.” Dan smiled at Phil after blurting his favorite phrase. 

“Unless I’m at the bottom of that hill.” The mood was immediately broken as Dan softly hit Phil in the side. 

“Shut up!” Dan said fondly. “I’m gonna be posting that picture, aren’t I?”

“Too relatable not to.” 

Dan sighed, sure something good had to come of this trip… Eventually.


	3. Cute in the Cold

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Part 3 is about the picture of Dan in front of the sea in the Isle of Man, smiling at Phil (2017; all the rest are 2017 except the one timeline break coming up soon).

Dan was warm and cozy. Nervous, but warm and cozy. As he stepped out into the brisk February air, he stared at his feet, making sure not to trip like he did the day before. Today Dan was wearing his fluffy jacket, and he didn’t want to get it dirty. He figured that as long as he didn’t run down any hills, he’d be fine.

He and Phil wandered out to the seaside, where they decided to take a stroll down the rocky shore. It wasn’t a beach walk, but they’d have plenty of those come May. Today, they would just enjoy the beautiful scenery. Dan looked around the empty trail, then took Phil’s hand. “This is nice.” He smiled at his boyfriend.

Phil smiled back. “It is great to get away for a while. Even though it’s because I’m turning into an old man, I love the fact that we can just escape up here and have pleasant seaside walks.”

They walked for a few minutes, then Dan turned to Phil again. “I’m so out of shape. Can we sit down?”

“We’ve only been walking for ten minutes!” Phil glared at him with annoyance and love. Dan returned his look with puppy dog eyes and a pouty lip. Phil rolled his eyes. “There’s a rock over there where we can sit for a little while. But we’re not spending all day lying existentially on a rock.”

Dan chuckled. “Of course not. I’d rather have my existential crisis where it’s warm.”

“It is pretty cold out here.” Phil joins Dan on the rock, cuddling up to his boyfriend. Dan wrapped his arm around Phil’s back, snuggling up to him so that their noses were but an inch away from each other. Phil smirked. “Glad I have a nice, warm bear to cuddle up to in this cold weather.” Dan laughed, fog from his breath blowing in Phil’s face.

“I’ll never get sick of your jokes,” Dan said, beaming. He leaned forward the extra inch, their noses touching, and kissed Phil. The connection sent warmth through both their freezing cold bodies as they lay peacefully on the rock. Phil eventually broke the kiss, leaving Dan pouty-lipped again.

“We need to get back to walking. It really is an icebox out here.”

“Well, there is a frozen over sea right in front of you, so I’d say so.”

Phil lovingly punched his boyfriend. “Shut up.” He gazed at the sea for a moment. “It’s a nice background though. Get over there and I’ll take a picture. We need something to post today.

Dan glared at Phil, a smile on his face. “Why am I always the subject of all of these pictures?”

“You just look so cute in that hat.” He rolled his eyes, stepping in between Phil and the sea. “Look as cute as possible.” Dan put his gloved hands up to his chin, smirking adorably. He watched as his boyfriend’s face melted into a soft smile as well. “I think that’s the best moment I’ve ever captured.” He paused. “Well, maybe other than that creepshot I took of you sleeping in 2009.”

“Honestly, when are you going to let that go?”

“Never. Be prepared. The creepshot war continues when we get home.”

Dan sighed. The creepshot war had been going on for eight whole years, and he’d been losing the entire time. He was going to get Phil one day. One day soon.


	4. Uma Thurman

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Part 4 is a flashback to 2009, when Phil posted a picture of Dan asleep on his couch and then Dan tweeted "Uma Thurman just watched me have sex".

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter Warning: Smut, choking kink

“Oh my gosh.” Dan was scrolling through Tumblr when he came across an old picture of him sleeping on Phil’s couch. 

“What is it?” Phil turned from his laptop, leaning over Dan’s. “I remember that!” He hesitated, awkwardly making an attempt to say what they were both thinking. “That was the first time we…” The rest of the phrase went unsaid but mutually known. The two sunk into their own memories of the night. 

Dan was extremely excited to see Phil. They’d been together for about a month and a half, and it was the only time since they first started dating that they’d seen each other. They had huge plans for the weekend. They’d be filming a video for his YouTube channel on the first day, and going to see a horror movie the second day. Dan was ecstatic that Phil shared his love for horror movies. 

The two spent the entire day filming in Manchester. Finally, they returned to Phil’s house and sat down with their laptops. “You know, Phil.” Dan smiled. “I could use some editing tips.” 

Phil chuckled. “Of course, Bear.” He leaned over onto Dan’s shoulder, placing his hand on top of Dan’s on the trackpad. “For a cleaner cut than what you’ve been using, you should use this mechanic.” He guided Dan’s hand to the correct button on the screen. 

“Thanks.” Dan grinned, blush creeping across both of their faces. The two returned to their laptops to edit. They were editing late into the night. Phil finished his portion first, as he had much more experience. Dan sighed as he watched Phil put away his laptop. 

Phil looked over at Dan, seeing the bags under his droopy eyes. “Dan, do you want me to finish it for you?

“No,” he yawned out. “I can do it.” 

“Dan, you’re falling asleep at your laptop. Let me do it.” 

Phil placed his hand on the top of Dan’s laptop, ready to take it from him. Dan took a deep breath. “Alright.” The laptop was removed from Dan’s lap, and he immediately collapsed, lying down on the couch. His eyes fluttered as all went dark and he fell into a deep sleep. 

Phil smiled down at the sleeping boy, pulling out his phone and posting a tweet. wild @danisnotonfire fell asleep. He finished the rest of Dan’s editing, setting his boyfriend’s laptop down beside his. He looked over at the sleeping boy and smiled. Pulling out his phone, Phil snapped a picture and tweeted it. Awr super kawaii ^-^ should I draw on him? 

He watched as the replies poured in. They seemed to have a common theme. kawaii? more like sexy af. 

s e x y b o i

damn that’s hot 

Phil thought about it for a moment, returning to the original tweet and taking another look at his picture. He sat admiring the boy’s chestnut hair and balled up fist beside his face. His white shirt and black jeans he’d been wearing all day still remained on his body. Suddenly, Phil felt the urge to rip them off. He lowered his phone and feasted his eyes on the real thing. The ebony-haired man watched as Dan’s chest rose and fell with each breath, pressing up against his shirt. Phil felt his jeans get tighter as he ran his hand through the sleeping Dan’s hair. 

Phil found himself undoing Dan’s belt. As he pulled the belt from its loops, the boy began to stir. 

“Phil?” Dan attempted to focus his sleepy eyes on the man kneeling over him. “What’s going on?” 

“Dan…” His eyes were widened, and Dan couldn’t help but notice the incredible shades they sported. They were blue, green, and yellow at the same time. He had no clue how it was possible, but it was right in front of his face. “I- I’m sorry…” Phil backed off of him, and Dan noticed he was holding his belt. Dan looked at him with a mix of loving surprise and lust. 

He reached forward and grabbed Phil’s shirt, pulling him a few inches from his face. “You could have just asked, you spork.” Dan pressed his lips to Phil’s, wrapping his arms around the man’s neck.

Phil relaxed into the kiss as the two awkwardly attempted to undress without breaking the connection. At the age of 18, Dan was a bit new to this. 

Shirts, pants, and finally, boxers, hit the floor. Both Dan and Phil had throbbing erections by this point. After a few muttered “should I”s and “Yeah, do that”s, Dan was on all fours on the couch, Phil kneeling behind him rubbing lube on his boner. 

“You just have that lying around?” Dan asked. 

“It’s pretty old,” Phil laughed. They were extremely awkward, yet somehow comfortable like that. Dan jolted as Phil slowly poked a finger into his entrance. “Are you okay?” He nodded, and Phil added another finger and spread them slightly. Dan winced yet again. “You’re sure you want to do this?”

“I’m sure, Phil.” 

Phil carefully guided his cock to Dan’s waiting hole, slowly pushing it in. The younger boy writhed underneath him, but eventually calmed down. “Phil-” 

He pulled out immediately. “What?” 

“C-” Dan hesitated, leaving Phil a bit concerned. “Could you…” He was holding up his discarded belt. Phil reached forward to take the belt from Dan’s hand, but Dan didn’t let go. Instead, he took Phil’s hand and guided it to his neck, where he released it, leaving the belt with Phil. 

The whole interaction left Phil more aroused than ever. He inserted his still throbbing boner back into Dan, this time tightening the belt around his throat. The younger boy’s head lolled back as he gagged. His body jerked around on the couch as Phil sped up his thrusts. 

Phil’s breathing picked up, his grip on the belt tightening as he neared his climax. Phil’s orgasm rocked his body as he came into Dan, who was currently having his own climax on the couch. Phil groaned as he collapsed on the couch, breathing heavily. “Oh no.” Dan choked out, his voice raspy from the belt. “Look at the couch!” 

They stood up, staring at the cum-stained couch. “I’ll go get some cleaning supplies.” Phil left the room, leaving Dan alone. He picked his discarded phone up off the floor, opening Twitter. He was about to tell the world about his previous experience before realizing that it would out him and Phil to their fans. Fame is hard. Instead, his eyes darted around the room until they focused on a poster for Kill Bill on the outside of Phil’s bedroom door. The poster featured Uma Thurman. A light bulb went off in Dan’s head and his thumbs began to move as he composed the tweet. 

Uma Thurman just watched me have sex.


	5. The Writing Process

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Part 5 is about a picture Phil took of Dan (back in 2017) where Dan was on the floor, under a blanket, and staring at his laptop. He was writing a video and appears to be having an existential crisis.

Dan was burned out. He’d been with Phil’s family up north for a week, but he’d promised himself he’d have a new danisnotonfire video out by Monday. The day of the week? Sunday. And what was Dan doing? Lying on the floor, completely lifeless. He couldn’t figure out the words.

The topic was decided. The idea had been sitting in his notebook for years, and Dan thought it was finally the time to do it. He never posted a video unless he thought it was the exactly right time. He was ready to tell the world about his horrific piano lesson experience as a child, and he had to do it soon. The new round of lessons he would speak of in the video would start later in the week. He just didn’t know how to say it.

So Dan lay on the floor staring at his laptop. He was halfway through a sentence, unsure of how to end it or what would come next. There were multiple sketches in the video, but he didn’t know what to put where, or what to wear for them, or any of the details. It was bothering Dan a lot, but he had to work quickly. Eventually, his brain just burned out. So he was just there, staring and waiting for ideas.

“What are you doing?” Dan looked up to see Phil in the doorway with his phone. Wonderful. Dan was pretty sure he hadn’t gotten a single creepshot of Phil, but Phil had at least five of him. Wasn’t much of a creepshot war. Just a creepshot beating. 

“I’m writing a video.”

“You don’t look like you’re writing.” 

“That’s the point.” 

“Well, I’ll leave you alone then. I’ll send you the picture later so you can post it on Instagram to promo your new video. When are you posting it?”

“Tomorrow.”

Phil’s jaw dropped. “I guess we’re filming tonight then.” Dan nodded. “Oh joy. I’ll get the camera.” And Phil was off. And Dan? Dan started typing something about a meat freezer. It would all fit together eventually. Probably. Hopefully. Meh. Dan would be fine. His viewers ate up any content he posted anyway. At least the creative juices were finally flowing. Suddenly, he was typing like mad. Soon, Phil was back with the camera. “Ready?”

Dan smiled, finally content with his video. “Ready.”


	6. Sad Pimp

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Part 6 is about the picture Phil took of Dan on the couch with his fuzzy blanket on him, making him look like a "sad pimp".

Time was running out. There were only a few months left before their rent lease would be up, and Dan and Phil still hadn’t decided where they’d move to. Caught up on their filming, they decided to devote an afternoon to house hunting online. 

They each bundled up to keep warm in the cold February weather, taking out their laptops and plopping down in their sofa creases. “What about this one?” Dan turns his laptop to show Phil a flat in the outskirts of London. 

“You do know that says it’s at the top of a three story building without an elevator, right?” 

“Never mind.”

They continued looking, each one occasionally turning to look at the other when they found a house for the other to see. Every time Phil looked over at Dan to show him a house, he had to stifle a laugh. There was something about him wrapped in that furry blanket that looked hilarious to Phil, although he couldn’t quite put his finger on it. 

Phil smiled at the boy, his face hardened and serious. The blanket around him made him look almost like royalty, but that wasn’t funny. While Dan was busy scrolling the list of houses, Phil pulled his phone from the pocket of his emoji-covered pajama pants and snapped a picture. He studied it for a moment, and a solution began to form in his head. 

Phil looked up at Dan and finally burst out laughing. “What?” 

“You look like a sad pimp.” 

“A what?” 

“A sad pimp.” 

Dan stared at him, his brow furrowed in a mix of confusion, love, concern, and disappointment. “What does that even look like?” 

“You.” Dan should have seen that coming. “With that furry blanket-”

“Don’t kinkshame me.” Phil burst out laughing. 

“With that fuzzy blanket and your expressionless face, you look like a sad pimp. Just add a bit of bling and you’d see what I mean.” 

“Yeah, okay.” 

“See, look!” Phil held up his phone with the picture he took earlier; gold chains were photoshopped around Dan’s neck.

Dan simply sighed. “Send me the original of that. I’ll let the internet tell you you’re wrong.”

“Dan, you know our fans aren’t going to do that. They’re just going to make art about it and wonder whether or not you’re wearing a shirt under that blanket.” 

Dan pulled his phone out from the folds of his blanket, saving the picture and composing an Instagram post. “By the way, I’m not.”


	7. The Singapore Skybar

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Part 7 is about the picture of Dan and Phil in Singapore (the first one we got) where they were up in a skybar (or at least high up; I don't remember if it clarified that it was a skybar or if I made it up). Dan was biting his lip.

“I’m hungry,” Dan whined as they walked through the airport. 

“So am I,” Phil panted. “We’ll go to lunch once we drop our stuff off at the hotel.” 

They pushed the door open to the taxi circuit, giving Dan another reason to complain. “It’s so hot outside!” Dan could practically feel his hair poofing.

“Technically, I believe you’re reacting to the humidity.” 

“Shush. Let me be hot.” 

Phil rolled his eyes as the two somehow managed to catch a cab. In such a busy city as Singapore, you’d think it would take ages, but they must have just gotten lucky. The traffic, however, was not as simple. Their hotel was only a few blocks away, as the city was very small, but it took them half an hour to get there. When they finally got out of the taxi, Dan couldn’t help but gaze up at the building. “This place is huge.” 

“You’re not wrong.” 

“There’s three buildings here. Which one do we even go in?” 

“Let’s just try this one.” And so they took their luggage and walked in. Their room, of course, ended up being in the last building they tried. At least they made it eventually. They dropped their suitcases in the room and Dan almost immediately dashed back out, rocking back and forth on his feet and waiting for Phil. 

“Come on! I told you I’m hungry.” 

“Hold your horses; I’m coming.” 

“I’m so hungry I could eat a horse.” 

“Let’s go. Maybe you can find a place here where you can eat horses. They terrify me anyway.” 

Dan gave Phil a look. “I don’t think that’s how Singaporean culture works.” Phil simply shushed them and they took off down the block. 

“Do we know where we’re going?” 

“Of course,” Phil said confidently. He pulled up a map on his phone, gazing up at the skyline for the buliding with the skybar they were headed to. “I think we might need a cab.” 

After another half hour stuck in traffic, they were finally dropped off at the huge building. “Why do we always have to go to skybars?” Dan asked. 

“It’s tradition!” Sighing, he followed Phil into the building. They caught an elevator up to the top floor and exited into a bustling restaurant. The scent of steak and potatoes filled Dan’s nostrils, making his stomach growl. 

“Thank goodness we’re finally where the food is.” They sat down an outdoor table and ordered, and it wasn’t until he glanced around the skybar that Dan realized how long it would be until their food was ready. “Guess it’s time to wait another hour.” 

“Sorry. Let’s just take in the sights.” Phil stared off into the distance, admiring both the city and the ocean surrounding it. Across the channel, they could see their towering hotel, a ferris wheel, and a modern bridge structure. “It’s beautiful, isn’t it?” All Dan could do was nod. “Picture?” 

And so the two of them posed against the railing so that their hotel was in the shot and Dan held up his phone. “Not gonna lie, I’m mildly terrified of dropping this.” 

Phil wrapped his arm around Dan’s back as he prepared to snap the picture. “Don’t worry; I’ll hold you steady.” Although he was already hot and sweaty, Phil’s touch sent a different type of warmth through him. Instinctively, he bit down on his upper lip, snapping the picture. 

“Oh… That’s not a good one…” But Phil was already back at the table. 

“Look, Dan! The waiter brought bread!” Rolling his eyes, Dan pocketed his phone and sat down. 

The two had a pleasant lunch as they watched the sun climb the horizons and position itself directly over them. “We’ve got a whole town to see, my dear. Are you ready to go?” Phil extended a hand to Dan, who graciously took it. 

“I sure am.” They made their way to the elevator and walked in for the long ride back down. 

“Hey, Dan; do you want to post that picture we took at the skybar?” 

Dan pondered this for a moment, remembering his lip bite. “It’s not the best picture, but I could.” 

“Go for it. We want to give them something from day one.” Dan composed an Instagram post, allowing it to post to both Twitter and Tumblr. He put his phone away as the elevator door opened, stepping back out into the humid, Singapore air. Phil was right. There was a huge city out there to see, and he was ready to enjoy his damn vacation.


	8. Merlion Daddy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Part 8 is based off the pictures of Dan and Phil pretending to drink the water from the Merlion fountain in Singapore.

After about an hour of walking around in the city, Dan was soaked from head to toe in sweat, his hair even wavier than it usually was. It was cloudy in Singapore, so at least he wouldn’t be getting a sunburn, but the horrible humidity had him drenched. “Can we stop and rest for a moment?” he panted out to Phil, who was trudging along to his right, also noticeably tired. 

“Yeah,” he says, taking a rough, fast breath before continuing. “That might be a good idea.” 

The two found a bench overlooking the Singapore Strait and took off their backpacks, pulling out two water bottles each and downing their contents. After about ten minutes, Dan found himself eyeing the huge merlion statue in the distance. It was spitting water into the strait and making Dan thirsty again. But he was out of water, and that wasn’t the only effect the statue had on him. 

“That running water makes me have to piss.” 

Phil laughed. “Blatant, but okay. Also, it’s probably the two bottles of water, but you do you. I need to go too.”

“Where’s the nearest bathroom?” 

Phil pulled out the huge city map he was storing in his backpack and unfolded it across his lap. “Towards the merlion there’s one.” Phil packed up his things and stood up, slinging his backpack over his shoulder. “You coming?” 

Dan pondered this for a moment. He definitely didn’t want to get up, but his bladder eventually won out. He peeled his melting skin off the bench and followed Phil in the direction he assumed the bathroom was in. Of course, that relied on Phil knowing where he was going, which was a rare occurrence. After about five minutes of wandering, Dan was about ready to take a leak in the strait when Phil finally pointed to a small building in the distance “Found it!” 

About two minutes later, the two met up outside the bathroom. “You could have just waited for me,” Phil whined down to Dan, who was sitting on a bench with his legs crossed. 

“Meh. I wanted to sit down.” 

Phil sighed, mentally reminding Dan that they were just sitting down, and dragged him off the bench. “Where to next?” 

“Not gonna lie,” Dan said, licking his lips. “Now that I don’t have to worry about my exploding bladder, I’m really thirsty again, and my thirst is drawing me to that merlion fountain.” 

Phil shrugged before walking off in the direction of the statue. “Merlion is a weird thing to call it,” Phil blurted in typical Phil sunshine style. “I know it’s like a mix of a lion and a mermaid but it’s still such an odd name and really an odd statue in general.” 

Dan stared into space for a moment, taking in this information. “You’re not wrong” was what eventually came out. 

After a short stroll, they made it to the statue and an idea popped into Dan’s dehydrated mind. “Quenth meh thirth, merlion daddy,” he said, his speech slurred by his tongue sticking out of his mouth as he posed as if the water from the fountain was pouring into his mouth. Phil immediately took out his phone and snapped a picture. 

“How did you get that pose perfect on the first try?” Phil stared in awe. 

“Guess I’m just a natural model,” Dan said in a basic white girl voice, flipping the hair he didn’t have as he walked away from his posing spot. 

“My turn!” called Phil, who stepped into Dan’s place and posed. Dan pulled out his phone and opened the camera, aligning it correctly so it looked like the water was going into Phil’s mouth. “No, ge clother!” Dan interpreted that as a call for a close up, to which he rolled his eyes and reluctantly stepped closer. The shot was instantly ruined, and Dan raised an eyebrow at Phil. “Clother!” He took another step and Phil interjected. “Light Thele!” Dan, barely able to understand Phil’s babble, just froze and pointed the camera. At this point, his phone was but a few inches from Phil’s face, and he had a feeling it would be a really bad time for a fan to spot them. They’d probably just see the phan photo shoot and laugh it off, but it still worried Dan. 

Trying to shake it off, Dan turned his attention to the camera. He focused the light, but the stream of water was visibly off. “Are you sure this is good?” Phil nodded before returning his face to an even worse position than it was in before the nod. Dan shook his head and snapped the picture. “Here you go, you dork,” he said, handing his phone to the now mobile Phil for him to look at. 

“That’s nowhere near right!” he called, and Dan simply shrugged. 

“You told me to stand there.” 

“Fine,” Phil pouted, walking along Dan, who was already a few yards away from their posing spot. “I guess I don’t get a retake then.” 

“Not everyone has such talent as a model as I do.” Dan smirked. 

“Just for your rudeness, we’re 110% going to the aquarium tomorrow.” 

Dan thought of the practically endless aesthetic photograph opportunities that could come from an aquarium. They’d be swimming in photos they could post. He cringed at his own internal pun before turning to Phil. “Sounds good to me.”


	9. Aquarium Adventures

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Part 9 is based off all the pictures of Dan and Phil at the aquarium in Singapore.

The next morning, Dan and Phil set out for the promised aquarium. It was so hot and humid in Singapore that even Dan couldn’t bear to wear black jeans. The two ended up in shorts and tee shirts as they walked down the street towards the aquarium.

As the building edged into sight, Dan turned to his sweaty, out of breath boyfriend. The two out of shape boys were tired out after less than a mile of walking. Even with his obvious tiredness, Phil was practically bobbing up and down.

“I love aquariums! I haven’t been to one in ages.” 

“Phil, we went to an aquarium in Florida last year.” 

“But it felt like so long ago!” 

Dan rolled his eyes as they reached the line leading up to the aquarium’s ticket booth. “Do you have the money?” he asked, but Phil was already digging through his backpack and pulling out a few Singaporean dollars. The queue moved surprisingly fast; either that or Phil just took way too long to find the money. They paid the woman in the ticket booth and entered the dark room.

The color scheme mesmerized Dan. It wasn’t like he’d never been to an aquarium before; it just never ceased to amaze him. The blackness of the room around him was illuminated by the turquoise blue light radiating from the tanks surrounding him. The room was circular, allowing the tanks to close him in. It immersed him very well, and if there was one thing Dan Howell was about, it was immersion. 

“Look at the stingray!” Dan yelled, whipping out his phone and snapping a picture. Stingrays had always been his favorite. Something about the aquarium forced both Dan and Phil to almost regress into childhood. The two ran around the building like kids in a candy store. Each pointed eagerly at different displays, oohing and aahing at the animals. 

Suddenly, Phil grabbed Dan’s hand and was dragging him down the hall to another room. “Woah!” he yelled, but his startled face quick resolved into a smile and a chuckle. “Where are we going?” A few seconds later, he was released in a square room, the walls once again comprised of tanks. The water was full of colorful fish; the most common type was a fish whose white body reflected the blue of the water and whose yellow tail almost glowed out in the blue. 

Dan put his hand up to the glass, reaching out to the fish. If it wasn’t so annoyingly wet, he’d wish he was in there with them. Looking around, he noticed everyone else in the room doing the same pose and staring into space as if they were thinking deeply about something, although he hadn’t a clue what. He could already sense Phil behind him taking a photo, so he just stared off into the nonexistent distance until he heard his boyfriend start giggling, a sign he could break his pose. “You’re so dumb,” was all he said. 

After Phil’s inevitable closeup, a few selfies, and some exotic animal shoots, the two found themselves in an abandoned area of the aquarium: the shark room. Dan was unsure of why there was nobody there; the sharks were quite interesting, in his opinion. “Another picture?” Phil asked. 

“They’re gonna get so much content from this damn aquarium.”

“That’s the point.” 

Dan chuckled as he turned to look at the tank, catching a glimpse of Phil getting on his knees to take the picture from a new angle. A few seconds later, a shark swam up right by the glass, and Dan smiled at the close encounter. However, Phil still hadn’t told him to turn back around. “Did you get the picture?” he asked. No reply; only the faint sound of rustling behind him. “Phil?” 

“Yeah, yeah, I got it,” he said, seeming as if he had been rushed. 

Dan pivoted around, but Phil wasn’t at his normal eye level. Instead, he remained on the floor. The thing was, though, he wasn’t holding his phone, but instead a silver ring. 

The band reflected the blue light of the aquarium to Dan’s eyes, which began filling with tears. “I can’t fucking believe you.” 

“Dan?”

“Yes, Phil?!” 

“Will you marry me?” 

“Of course, you fucking idiot.” 

Dan grabbed Phil’s hand, attempting to force the ring onto his finger. Being the clumsy idiots they both were, they allowed the ring to clatter to the tile floor. Each quietly but lovingly blamed the other before Phil finally found the ring a few feet behind him and peacefully slipped it onto Dan’s finger. The two took each other’s hands, breaking the touch as they left the isolated room back into the crowded aquarium. 

“That room wasn’t coincidentally empty, was it?” 

“Maybe not…” 

“How did you even-”

“A magician never reveals his secrets.” 

“You’re such a dork.” 

“But I’m your dork.” 

The dorks stepped out of the aquarium and into the Singapore heat, but neither noticed the temperature change, as they were still immersed in the past moment of their life together. “But you’re my dork.”


End file.
